Spacecraft Propulsion Systems Engineer I
We're currently seeking a Spacecraft Propulsion Systems Engineer I for our propulsion engineering team based out of Long Beach, CA. As a Propulsion Systems Engineer, you're responsible for system-level and component-level ownership of space systems propulsion and fluidic development. This team supports our Space Systems division, and leads cutting-edge programs for civil, commercial, and defense customers.
What You'll Get To Do:
- Own development of new or existing products or systems, acting as technical lead to guide team through end-to-end development process.
- Conceptual and detailed designs in CAD for propulsion system components, as well as performance calculations and analysis.
- Review and approval of others' drawings, 3D PMI, reports, and specifications.
- Test planning, setup, instrumentation, execution, and data analysis.
- Communicate with project stakeholders internal and external to the team.
- Technical risk-based decision making to the right/best solution when faced with an engineering challenge.
- Project management including schedule building and maintenance, identifying top priority items, tasking of other engineers and technicians, and communication of status to leadership and other teams.
- Mentorship and coaching of people within the team on technical and professional development.
- Defining and maintaining standard of excellence for their team through documentation, training, coaching, and review of others' work.
- Contributing to engineering process development and documentation at Rocket Lab related to areas of experience.
You'll Bring These Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline.
- Experience in propulsion system development or other high-performance field.
- US citizenship is required, due to program requirements.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
These Qualifications Would Be Nice To Have:
- A genuine passion for engineering, curious mindset, and willingness to learn.
- Detailed mechanical design experience using NX (preferred) or equivalent industry standard CAD software and Product Lifecycle Management software such as Teamcenter (preferred), Windchill, or similar.
- Comfortable working with high levels of ambiguity.
- Ability to make decisions using basic engineering principles, available literature and standards, technical risk assessments, test data, and physics-based models.
- Experience working on propulsion systems utilizing different storable propellants, such as electrical and chemical.
- Track record of design reviews and approving release of flight parts, qual reports and decisions for flight hardware.
- Practice in identifying the necessary steps to achieve high level technical goals, scheduling them in a plan, and managing delivery against that plan.
- Experience developing requirement and verification sets, as well as writing test plans, performing testing, and writing test reports.
- Experience with end-to-end development process including gathering requirements, detailed design, qualification, production, and acceptance testing.
- Capabilities using Python for data manipulation and post-processing.
- Demonstrated hands-on engineering skills, inside or outside the workplace.
- Hands-on integration and testing experience (ideally using NI equipment and software).
- Experience with GD&T and engineering drawings.
- Experience using Product Lifecycle Management software such as Teamcenter (preferred), Windchill, or similar.
- Experience using National Instruments data acquisition systems.
- Experience with testing and troubleshooting flight hardware.
- Master's or PhD in engineering.
This position may require prolonged periods of sitting, standing, walking, computer work, and occasional exposure to moderate levels of noise, dust, and fumes in production areas.